Apple Partner TSMC Unveils Advanced 1.4nm Process for 2028 Chips

[MacRumors]

Apple chipmaker TSMC at the North America Technology Symposium has teased its next-generation A14 process node that will enter planned production in 2028.

The cutting-edge A14 node will allow for highly advanced 1.4nm chips that are likely to be utilized for future generations of Apple silicon. Compared to TSMC's N2 node, A14 promises up to 15% faster performance at the same power or up to 30% power savings at the same performance. A14 also boasts over 20% logic density improvement.

TSMC said it is also evolving its TSMC NanoFlex standard cell architecture to NanoFlex Pro, enabling greater performance, power efficiency, and design flexibility. From the company's press release:

"Our customers constantly look to the future, and TSMC's technology leadership and manufacturing excellence provides them with a dependable roadmap for their innovations," said TSMC Chairman and CEO Dr. C.C. Wei. "TSMC's cutting-edge logic technologies like A14 are part of a comprehensive suite of solutions that connect the physical and digital worlds to unleash our customers' innovation for advancing the AI future."

It's not known which of TSMC's clients will stand to benefit first from the new 1.4nm chips, but given the close partnership between the company and Apple, it's a good bet that the latter will be at the front of the queue to place orders.

TSMC's industry-leading 2nm process is set to enter volume production later this year. Apple is not expected to introduce devices using TSMC's 2nm (N2) process node until 2026, suggesting that the iPhone 18 series will be first to adopt the technology in Apple's A20 chip.

Both the iPhone 17 and the upcoming M5 chip for Macs and iPads are expected to continue to utilize TSMC's 3nm process, specifically the third-generation N3P node. This decision is primarily due to the high costs and limited production capacity associated with the 2nm process at this time.

Article Link: Apple Partner TSMC Unveils Advanced 1.4nm Process for 2028 Chips

 

[McWetty]

My iPhone 15Pro is plenty performant. Instead, I would love a 30% increase in battery life on my iPhone. But I doubt that will be a priority.

 

[picpicmac]

suggesting that the iPhone 18 series will be first to adopt the technology in Apple's A20 chip.

I suspect an M6 SoC will show up in Spring of 2026, in perhaps an iPad Pro.

This will keep Apple's bragging rights of being the leader in bringing chip technology to the masses, as AMD and Nvidia are definitely going to want to exploit 2nm process.

 

[SexExpert]

I suspect an M6 SoC will show up in Spring of 2026, in perhaps an iPad Pro.

This will keep Apple's bragging rights of being the leader in bringing chip technology to the masses, as AMD and Nvidia are definitely going to want to exploit 2nm process.

Bragging rights about who's on the most advanced node don't mean much. I don't care if it's on a 2.5cm node if the performance/efficiency are better.

 

[Eriamjh1138@DAN]

Would apple sell a new iPhone with the same speed as last years, the same capacity and just tout 30% longer battery life?

I don’t think so.

Lighter. Thinner. Faster. More powerful.

As appealing as it may be, longer battery life just doesn’t get clicks.

I’d like Easier to Replace Battery and Guaranteed to last five years of daily use.

 

[ForkHandles]

If you made a nanometer a big as a millimetre then a mm would have to become a kilometre ( 0.6 miles )

These are incredibly small measurements.

 

[rikki_t]

All this tells me is we are so close to hitting the brick wall of incremental chip improvements we don't have time to say 'ouch !', drip fed another ten to fifteen percent when we need a hundred or even two hundred to have anything that is generally usable, feels like we're back in Intel territory and the party is over.

 

[attohs]

If you made a nanometer a big as a millimetre then a mm would have to become a kilometre ( 0.6 miles )

These are incredibly small measurements.

Sure, but this is marketing. The actual gate transistor sizes stopped getting smaller at around 14nm.

Just wanted to point out that 3nm or 2nm are nothing but the marketing terms. Th... | Hacker News

news.ycombinator.com

The Truth About 2nm Chips: Precision Engineering or Clever Marketing? | TeqnoVerse

Does the term “2nm” actually reflect physical dimensions, or is it primarily a marketing concept representing other improvements?

en.teqnoverse.com

 

[iMac The Knife]

Meh, I'm still holding out for the -5nm chip.

 

[kerr]

Let’s start getting in the habit of saying angstroms. It’s 14 angstroms.

 

[turbineseaplane]

How much faster do people need Instagram to load?

 

[rp2011]

The whining. Off the bat. First response. Whahhh my iPhone is fast enough? Why do we need a faster iPhone? It's like a bizarro world up in here sometimes, complaining things are getting better, allowing more capabilities, longer battery life thinner devices.
The technological feat. The ingenuity. Having something this amazing in your pocket, moving things forward year after year. Geez, some of you just need to save some money and just buy used iPhones from now on and chill on the insane whining.

 

[tipoo]

In before the WhAt HaPpEnS aFtEr 1nm crowd

These names have been pure marketing for decades, if you take TSMC N7 for instance it had 36nm and 50nm gate widths and fin pitches. Don't take it from me, take it from Jim Keller, there's plenty left to shrink as these are three dimensional objects nowhere near a nanometer yet in reality.

 

[darngooddesign]

Would apple sell a new iPhone with the same speed as last years, the same capacity and just tout 30% longer battery life?

I don’t think so.

Lighter. Thinner. Faster. More powerful.

As appealing as it may be, longer battery life just doesn’t get clicks.

I’d like Easier to Replace Battery and Guaranteed to last five years of daily use.

Cant get easier than a thin 5K MagSafe power bank, and it will give you more than a 30% increase even after 5 years.

 

[cdsapplefan]

I just knew they would some how get to 1nm.😉

 

[Eriamjh1138@DAN]

Cant get easier than a thin 5K MagSafe power bank, and it will give you more than a 30% increase even after 5 years.

I don’t want an external battery to be supporting an old, failing, worn out internal battery. Or the extra bulk, but I know what you mean.

 

[now i see it]

Looking forward to their 0nm chip in 2030

 

[Bustycat]

Let’s start getting in the habit of saying angstroms. It’s 14 angstroms.

That's why the process node is named "A14" by TSMC.

 

[racerhomie]

My iPhone 15Pro is plenty performant. Instead, I would love a 30% increase in battery life on my iPhone. But I doubt that will be a priority.

A small MagSafe compatible Power Bank will do the job

 

[racerhomie]

How much faster do people need Instagram to load?

2 Million apps on the App Store. A lot of games and video & photo editing apps will benefit

 

[LexaGrey]

My iPhone 15Pro is plenty performant. Instead, I would love a 30% increase in battery life on my iPhone. But I doubt that will be a priority.

It may not be a priority, but it is certainly a side effect of more hardware in house. C2 modem and Apple designed WiFi chip should limit some of the current power hogs. While the smaller nodes are marketing, the efficiency gains are real. Getting pro-motion into the whole product line to allow low refresh rates should also be a win. Of course all that requires you to upgrade your phone.

I just wish they would work with Sony on the camera power efficiency. The camera runs hotter than the CPU which seems a fixable problem. The current metric is watching video, but I want a phone that can do a 24-hour video recording on a single charge.

 

[dunkin06]

Sure, but this is marketing. The actual gate transistor sizes stopped getting smaller at around 14nm.

Just wanted to point out that 3nm or 2nm are nothing but the marketing terms. Th... | Hacker News

news.ycombinator.com

The Truth About 2nm Chips: Precision Engineering or Clever Marketing? | TeqnoVerse

Does the term “2nm” actually reflect physical dimensions, or is it primarily a marketing concept representing other improvements?

en.teqnoverse.com

We know dude. Everyone knows this now.

 

[cwkoller5]

Nanoflex Pro seems exciting. Makes me wonder what Nanoflex Max and Nanoflex Ultra will offer.

 

[McWetty]

A small MagSafe compatible Power Bank will do the job

Have one. Don’t love the extra cost/bulk/weight. A happy medium would be 15% gains in both power and battery.

 

[tenthousandthings]

Let’s start getting in the habit of saying angstroms. It’s 14 angstroms.

Å14